Almost Doesn't Count
by SleepingFool
Summary: Years after Goku's death, Pan decides to take matters into her own hands. What happens when fate has other plans? Will she succeed in resurrecting her Grandpa or will she become a slave to a dangerous new villain?
1. Desperate

Hello honourable readers/writers,

I've been concentrating mostly on this fic for the last couple of weeks, 'cause it's so hard to decide if it's good enough to satisfy myself. It's not that I want it to be perfect (God knows it is far from that), but I just wanted to make sure I've got a decent story on my hands before posting it.

Just want to inform you that this story is mostly focused on Pan, and her efforts. I like the girl, simply because she isn't a giggling airhead like Krillin's ex-girlfriend Maron. She's just a down-to-earth kinda woman, who is serious in her studies and life, but also realizes the meaning of the word 'fun'.

Action and a little bit of adventure sprinkled all over, angst plays a huge part later on. Eventually I will let romance play a part - either in this story or possibly a sequel - but for now there's just no place for it.

Rating: PG13 for this part (just in case); overall R.

Warnings: None for now.

**

* * *

**

**Almost Doesn't Count**

_Chapter 1 - Desperate_

* * *

Pan snarled and kicked the heavy air, wishing she could actually force it away from her. Unfortunately this was not the case; the heat still attacked her full force, unrelenting in its intensity. She had long since mentally drifted away from her body, a deep frown etched on the contours of her beautiful face.

Any observer could have thought it was a frown of concentration, or maybe a frown of anger if they were to judge by the sharpness of her movements. Perhaps it was a frown of irritation, or of some disturbing thought. Or perhaps it was a combination of all the above.

But Pan didn't care for the world around her at the moment.

Another extremely hot night had passed, and with that had come a whole new wave of pain, a grief so deep that she couldn't possibly comprehend it. And it wasn't her own. Of course, she missed her Grampa Goku terribly, her heart ached to have him back, but it was almost nothing compared to this, to what her Grandmother felt.

Every night Pan heard Chi Chi crying herself to sleep, tears of endless grief. If this kept going the way the way it currently was, then her grandma would die because of it. And Pan would be damned if she would let that happen. There just had to be a way to get him back!

She continued to spar with thin air, occasionally wiping the forming sweat from her forehead with the back of her equally sweaty hand. It was no use. The heat was too much, but her stubbornness would not allow her to stop once she'd started something. Now she was just ignoring the heat. Or at least trying to.

Goku had been gone for about 7 years now, years that Pan had spent at the original Son house. Her mother had protested against her idea of moving in with her grandmother and away from home, but she had held firm. She would not let Chi Chi be lonely while nobody paid any attention to her, all floating in ignorant bliss that Chi Chi had moved on. It was exactly the opposite, Pan had noticed immediately. There was just an emptiness in her eyes, a void that had once been filled with a fire, a passion, a love. Homestudies had seemed the only option for her.

Now she heard her grandmother every night, and saw her act happy in front of everyone in the light of day. It was total agony for Chi Chi, Pan could see it in her whole demeanor and in turn it was killing her inside. They were in a vicious circle, and it couldn't go on like this. Something had to be done.

But what?

Pan landed quietly and grabbed a fluffy white towel from the washing line, wiping her face and neck roughly before draping it over her shoulders and picking up a bottle of water. Setting it to her mouth, she took huge gulps and relaxed her strained muscles a bit.

All options had led her to nowhere. The Earth Dragonballs were gone and she had absolutely no idea where New Namek was. That ruled out all possibilities-

"Pan? Your parents and your brother are going to arrive in a half an hour and you still need to take a shower." Chi Chi's soft voice interrupted her thoughts, and Pan looked up to see the other woman standing in the threshold of their domed house. She forced a smile that did not quite reach her eyes and then nodded.

The other woman could be so strong-willed and spirited at times, but with only Pan around she had changed a great deal. It was like her Grandmother let her guard down when she was practically alone, but felt that she had to keep up a good front in front of others. And Pan couldn't blame her for that, she had long ago realized, because it was exactly what she did herself.

Pan slowly made her way into the house as Chi Chi walked into the small kitchen to continue preparing dinner. Trudging down the hall she tried to clear her mind and closed her eyes. Now was not the time to think upon a solution for her problems, she would do so later when her mind wasn't so jumbled and her body not so tired.

"Pan!" A little boy yelled as he practically jumped up the stairs. Pan stepped out of the bathroom, toweling her shoulder-length black hair vigorously when she heard him. A tiny smile tugged at her lips at hearing her young sibling. Her little brother jumped into her arms when he saw her and she gladly returned the gesture of affection.

"Goku," She paused and inhaled the familiar scent of her brother, closing her eyes. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and she could feel his heart beating. At least one Goku was still alive as ever, though it was a younger version of 5 years old, "Are you alright?"

Goku pulled back and grinned happily at her, nodding, his eyes twinkling with innocent joy. It reminded her so much of her Grandfather that it startled her, but she didn't let it phase her outwardly. She should be used to it by now. Right?

Before she had time to react he suddenly began to pull her down the stairs hurriedly. The smell of all kinds of foods penetrated the muggy air and made both their mouths water in anticipation. Pan often wondered how it was possible that her Grandmother Chi Chi was so good at cooking and she herself was such a disaster in the kitchen, but she guessed it was due to the fact she didn't pay much attention to cooking. She sighed tiredly. Maybe a training session hadn't been one of the greatest ideas today after all.

"Hey Panny! Hon, how are your studies?" 'Very subtle, Dad,' she thought as she plopped down into a vacant chair. Sure, everything was going great, her grandmother wouldn't have it any other way. A tiny smirk surfaced on her face as her mother scolded little Goku for attempting to steal a chicken leg, while her father was intently staring at her, waiting patiently for an answer in the affirmative that he knew she would give.

Meanwhile, Chi Chi was standing at the counter, staring outside listlessly. She looked so drained, so exhausted. Nobody noticed it but her and it frustrated Pan immensely. Without her grandfather, things would never be the same, and this only strengthened her resolve; she had to find a way to bring him back. Not just for Chi Chi's sake, but for everybody's. She could see it eating away at everyone, even Vegeta had a somewhat disturbed look in his eyes whenever they talked about his foe-turned-friend.

Pan reverted her stare back to Gohan's face and smiled slightly for his sake.

"Everything's going great, Dad, just great."

:.:Next Day:.:

"No, Grandma, let me do it." Pan grabbed the towel from the other woman and a plate from the drying rack and began to do the dishes by herself. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Chi Chi leave the kitchen and she let out a weary sigh. The spirited woman had finally given up trying to convince her granddaughter that it wasn't necessary to do the nasty chore. But Pan wasn't deterred; Chi Chi had done enough for today.

She gazed out the window and pondered some more. Maybe the whole thing was out of her hands? Maybe she wasn't capable of bringing Goku back to life. Shaking her head, Pan continued to dry the plates in an absent manner. Of course she would be able to do this, she would never give up on trying.

The phone rang as she finished the last of the dishes and she trudged over to it. Once she was there she quickly picked it up, slightly irritated that somebody called in the middle of her thinking of a plan.

"What?" Pan grumbled, ballencing the phone between her ear and shoulder while hurriedly wiping her hands dry on a cloth to prevent said phone from falling. However, a familiar chuckle on the other end halted her movements for a moment.

"Well, that's a nice way to greet your favourite friend. Though a simple 'hello Trunks' would've been sufficient." She rolled her eyes in agitation and switched the phone to her other ear. Sitting down on the couch with the cordless phone, Pan got comfortable in front of the tv.

"But that would be so boring, now wouldn't it, boxer boy?" She snickered as she heard him suck his teeth in anger at her nickname for him. He simply hated it; she of course loved it and used it as often as possible to nag him. However he always called her 'Panny' or something akin in return. This time she prevented him from replying by cutting him off quickly.

"By the way, whatever gave you the idea that you are my favourite?" She heard a snort on the other end, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips in response. She was slightly curious at his reason for calling, but she had a vague hunch. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment before he even said the words.

"It's pretty obvious. Now, anyway, I called because, well, I can't spar with you tonight like I promised I would." His voice was full of regret and guilt as he spoke. Pan frowned; she'd been looking forward to sparring with him, for various reasons. His fighting style was unpredictable and nearly flawless. All in all, he was a real challenge.

"I'm sorry. You see, I-"

"Never mind. It's fine, I should be used to it by now," she growled, "bye."

"No, Pan, wait, I-" But she had already slammed the phone on the hook. She couldn't figure out why she was this angry, but she just was. After sitting on the couch for a few minutes more, Pan shrugged it off. Maybe it wasn't that bad that he couldn't, because now she'd have time to find Dende and ask him about what she needed to know.

She decided to go to bed early; tomorrow promised to be a long day. Getting up, she yelled to her grandmother she was going to take a shower and then go to bed. The stairs seemed endless as she trudged upward, many things weighing on her tired mind.

Yes, a hot shower seemed like the perfect idea.

* * *

Trunks frowned as he placed the phone back on the hook. He'd just called Pan to tell her that he wouldn't be able to make it, and he had planned to make another appointment with her. That had suddenly seemed impossible, for she had hung up before he had a chance to explain himself. 

His frown deepened as he remembered her tone of voice; it'd been void of emotion. He would really have to make it up to her soon. Oh well, he would swing by her later and appologize. Right now he had other things to do.

"Trunks? Honey, are you in the living room?" The gorgeous brunette hesitantly walked into the room before smiling a dazzling smile at him. Trunks smirked and motioned for her to sit next to him. The woman gladly did so and plopped down next to him, cuddling into his side, settling down to watch a movie with him.

"What's on your mind?" Athena asked, looking up and gazing deeply into his endless depths. He was suddenly remembered of the first time he gazed into those orbs. She was a publisher, and he had met her at a restaurant after a business meeting. The beauty had all he needed and wanted; she was smart and nice and modest and sweet. He really liked her and was glad she liked him too.

"Oh, it's nothing important." With that he pushed a button on the remote and the movie started up. Athena rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed, and with her he followed.

Worries would have to wait until later, he decided as he rested his head comfortably on hers, deeply inhaling her familiar scent.

* * *

"Well, you see it's right there. It's only a little ways away," Dende had a proud smile on his face as he placed one of his green pointer fingers on the huge star map. It seemed to please him greatly that someone showed interest in his homeplanet - especially the daughter of one of his bestest friends. 

New Namek was about 3 days away from Earth, Dende had told her, and it had two suns and three moons. It's environment was very similar to former Namek. That is why his people had survived this long.

"I'm surprised that you would be interested in my planet, Pan. What brought this on?" Pan smiled at the green Namek and walked over closer to the table where the map was lying. She quickly wrote the coordinates down on a little piece of paper, without him seeing it and turned back to Dende with a secretive Son grin on her lips.

"It's just been so boring around here lately and I'm very curious about your planet and culture." Dende nodded in understanding - especially in comparison to their earlier adventures he could understand that it might be a little.. boring, though he personally was pretty grateful for the peace on Earth for that same reason.

Pan didn't like to lie, even if what she had said was partially true. She'd decided not to tell him of her real plans; he would just tell her father and then she wouldn't be able to go. Her father was so protective sometimes, it drove her plain mad.

"I'm sorry, Dende, but I have to go now, otherwise I'm going to miss dinner!" He nodded and led her out of the domed structure. They talked a little more before Pan lifted into the air with a smug grin on her face. Finally. Now all she needed was a ship.

Fortunately she knew exactly where to look.

* * *

Dende frowned thoughtfully - something felt wrong. The look in Pan's eyes had held a secret, he had sensed it the minute she had landed on his Lookout. Something was in her eyes, a secret, a foresight of definite change, but he didn't know what to make of it.

_Kid, I need to talk to you_, Piccolo's voice suddenly resounded in his head, which inadvertently brought a smile to the God's young face.

_Hello, Piccolo. How are things down there?_ Dende walked over to the edge of his plateau and looked down at the people on Earth, keeping a special eye on his friends. The security guard of Hell snorted.

_Nothing out of the ordinary. What I contacted you for, however, is a possible problem. Son Gohan's daughter's up to something._ Dende raised an eyebrow. He had always known Piccolo to have a soft spot for Gohan, but that he actually came to warn him to keep a protective eye on his old student's daughter was a little surprising.

_I know, she just visited me_, Dende frowned in thought, _She wanted to know about New Namek. I have a feeling it wasn't just so she could learn about our culture._ Piccolo was quiet for a minute. After a couple of seconds he spoke once again in a booming voice.

_I sensed her feelings and thoughts during my meditation. I have a distinct feeling that Gohan's not going to be pleased with her plans._

* * *

Some minutes later Pan landed soundly in the back yard of the CC compound and quietly walked in. She wryly remembered that Trunks probably wouldn't be home right now because of his other 'priorities'. A snort escaped her as she grabbed the orange juice from the overstocked fridge and a glass from one of the many cabinets before sitting down at the huge table.

"Probably some girl again. Why women continue to throw themselves at him so unreservedly will always remain a mystery to me," she muttered while pouring the juice into a glass and drinking, staring vacantly ahead. She was glad that her mind was pleasantly blank for a minute or so before the thought of herself mooning over some guy, like Trunks, made her produce an inevitable snort of disbelief. No way, not ever.

She took another sip from the juice as she let her mind wander. This house was like a second home to her. She used to come here all the time and now she had to leave. Oh well, it would only be for a short time, but when she was back her Grampa would be here and everything would be back to n-

"Pan? What are you doing here? I thought I told you I couldn't spar tonight?" Trunks' voice interrupted her moment of peace and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Then she noticed the overly hurried tone he was speaking in and she smiled wickedly; she just loved teasing him and this would be the perfect opportunity. He was arrogant and it wasn't very often that she could find an opening to take him down.

"Oh can it. I'm not here for you," Trunks was surprised, but walked over to the other side of the table and sat down, uncharacteristically fidgeting while avoiding her eyes. Her smile broadened; his date must arrive soon so he wanted to get rid of her. Well, she thought ironically, he'd get what he wanted in every possible sense of the word - at least for quite a while.

"Well, for who then?" Trunks' tone steadied, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. He looked up as she got up and walked over to the counter and placed the empty glass in the sink. Then she walked over to the back door, but not before looking back once more.

"What do you care? All you want is for me to leave before your date arrives or I might ruin your plans, right?" His eyes widened and he quickly shook his head in denial. She smiled again, "That's alright Trunks, I'll be leaving anyways, don't worry."

And with that she walked out the door and over to the labs. Pan slightly lowered her face to the panel and passed through a retinal scan. Bulma had given her access to these labs a long time ago because Pan loved to help her with her projects. Now it was very convenient, for she knew about the relatively old spaceship in the back of the storage room. It would suit her plans perfectly.

The long halls led her past doors of all kinds - with nameplates, and without. Fortunately the one she was looking for was at the end. Another retinal scan and she was granted access to a huge room filled with old inventions and parts of new ones. On the right there was a huge closet with all kinds of capsules, variating from ridiculously small ones, to box sizes.

The air was unbelievably hot and muggy, because there was no air conditioning needed in this room - almost nobody came here. Nonetheless, Pan took a deep breath and let her eyes roam the closet with capsules. She needed one perticular capsule, slightly larger than the rest with a yellow label, number...

"Ah, number 358."

She pushed one of the buttons on the right side and the glass panel opened for her. With the right capsule in hand she walked out of the compound, leaving everything behind the way she'd found it. Well, except for the capsule of course, but that was a tiny detail that would never be missed. Besides, she'd be long gone by the time they found out.

Walking along the side of CC Living Quarters Pan let her eyes wander around the yard. The many flowerbeds of Mrs. Briefs, Trunks' Grandmother, were scattered all around and the GR had long since been attached to the main dome for easier access. She smiled fondly at the thought of little Gojita, the son of Goten and Bra, sparring in the room with his grandfather Vegeta.

Though she loved the little guy as much as if he were her own little brother, she wasn't ready to have a child of her own. There was still too much wildness and recklessness in her soul for her to bear that kind of responsibility.

She walked along until she came at one of the windows to the living room. Through it, Pan could see Trunks sitting on the couch with an arm wrapped around the waist of a 'cute' brunette. She scrunched her nose in disgust at the picture; it was so typical of Trunks. But she felt kind of hurt at the realization that he rather wanted to be with another woman than her. She looked down at her hands and then back up at Trunks' smiling face. He'd made her a promise and he'd broken it once again.

With a final glance, Pan lifted into the air and went back to her house to prepare for her departure.

* * *

"_Grandma!_ I've got to go." Pan whined.

Chi Chi had been nagging her for information about her whereabouts of that afternoon for a while now. Pan had apparently missed lunch and this greatly worried and displeased her grandmother. Now she was desperately trying to get out of there with some lame excuse.

"Why?" The woman momentarily stopped her rantings to listen to her granddaughter. She was very worried; it wasn't common for her to stay away the whole afternoon, let alone leave again.

"I need to focus on my training, I can't do it here," Pan lied straight through her teeth; she didn't want to tell anybody of her plans, for what if they failed? Then she would disappoint everyone, "I'm going to go away for a couple of days." Pan let out a sigh as Chi Chi's eyes widened. She hadn't been looking forward to this.

"Why? Where?" Her voice was panicky and tight, making Pan cringe on the inside. Suddenly pain became evident in the older woman's eyes and Pan frowned deeply. No, this was not going the way she wanted it to go. Not at all. This was not what she had wanted!

"I'm sorry, Grandma, I just need some time by myself. I promise I will be back soon, I promise. It'll only be a couple of days." Before she had time to rethink her decision, Pan ran out of the house, a small bag with capsules slung over her shoulder.

Chi Chi kept scowling at the door long after Pan had closed it behind her. At first when Pan had told her of her plans, she had been shocked. Feelings of old came back to her like a cold shower; somebody was leaving her again. Just like-

"No! No, not again.." A despaired yell penetrated the silence of the little house, but it was not to be heard by any other than herself. Goku had been gone for 7 long years, and she couldn't be mad at him - she never could. Now she had no hope left of ever reviving him, of ever seeing, touching, feeling him again. She had come to terms with herself and realized that the only thing she had left was her family.

Her sadness had long since turned into helpless anger. She'd pushed the fear and memories from her mind and had begun her daily activities. She would be damned if she was going to put up with this for much longer. As soon as Pan was back she was going to have a long talk with the young lady about her responsibilities. She would not allow her granddaughter to slack off from studying any time in the near future.

* * *

"Three.. Two.. One... Lift off!" She almost puked as she felt her brain pulled through her feet, but fortunately it was over just as quickly. When she was out of Earth's atmosphere Pan unstrapped herself from the uncomfortable chair and got up. After stretching she went to her bedchamber and plopped down on the huge bed tiredly.

She couldn't deny that she felt guilty for leaving her grandmother and the others without a decent explanation for her sudden disappearance. She could only hope that they would all take good care of Chi Chi and not neglect her like the past few years. It wasn't that her family and friends did not care for the once spirited woman - they just believed she was alright as she was.

A tiny smile touched Pan's lips as she thought about all their reactions when Goku would be back. Goku Jr. and Gojita would look at him with huge eyes that told of millions of stories she had told them over the years of their tiny existence - she had felt it her duty to keep the memory of her grandfather alive, even if nobody else would because of the pain it brought.

Goten would be so happy to have another chance with his father, it would shine in his eyes. Her father would be equally happy, especially since she knew that he had always harbored some kind of guilt towards his distruction at the hands of that Cell creature.

Vegeta would wear that challenging smirk - he would be happy though he wouldn't show it outwardly. And Bulma would be overjoyed and immediately throw the biggest party ever. Trunks and Bra would not act very different from their parents. And Krillin, she'd always liked him for he was once best friends with Goku, would be so glad to see his lifelong friend again.

And her grandmother..

There would not be words to describe what Chi Chi would feel or how she would act. To see her husband again after so many lonely years, months, days, nights - hours! She couldn't even imagine it, but it was what she strived for; to find out. To see her glow with happiness together with her grandfather.

Her fantasies had always kept her trying to find a way. Not once had she doubted her capabilities to make this succeed. But she didn't know how she herself would react. There were so many things she wanted to talk to him about, to explain how much she'd missed him, to hug him again, to see him and her grandmother happy like they should be.

That she had dedicated these years of her life to this cause had kept her busy and she didn't mind it. That she had to give up her own search for happiness and love had not even crossed her mind. Or maybe it had, once or twice. But it didn't matter, because in some deep hidden part of her Pan knew she had done it just for that purpose. To forget about herself.

After all, she wasn't that important right now.

* * *

Hm. I surely hope it isn't boring. If you think it is, wait for the next chap. This is just a bit of prepping for the action, ya know? Oh, and if you see any things you don't understand, email me.

Comments and criticism are welcome.


	2. Someday

Hello everyone,

First I want to thank everyone that reviewed, for the comments and for the compliments. Now I'm back with a new chapter for Almost Doesn't Count, and I think I know in which direction I want to take it. I hope that you like it as much as I liked writing it.

I watched the whole GT series, and I didn't particularly like the ending, so I'm just going to change a few things. For example; the Namekian Dragonballs are still active. And Goku hasn't become one with Shenron, he's just in Other World. The rest really speaks for itself I think. If you have any questions, ask me.

Last time: Pan embarked on her journey and nobody noticed. Perhaps now they will?

* * *

**Almost Doesn't Count**

_Chapter 2- Someday_

* * *

Trunks shut the front door behind his girlfriend and leaned back against the door for a while. He still couldn't get off his mind how distant Pan had been when she had been in his kitchen about a week ago. He'd gone into the kitchen to get something to drink when he had seen her sitting there, muttering something inaudibly. 

If there was one thing he hated, it was an angry Pan. He loved the girl dearly and he loved to spar with her, but he also loved Athena. And he had thought that Pan wouldn't mind him having to postpone their spar. But she did.

His pondering was rudely interrupted when his mother came storming through the back door, her face flushed with, probably, anger. Her gaze turned to her son and she stormed up to him, poking an accusing finger into his chest. Trunks looked down at her with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Trunks! I just came back from the storage room - and guess what!" Bulma screeched, making his sensitive ears hurt. Trunks raised a brow and shrugged. His mother's face grew even redder.

"Your father's old ship is gone! You know; the one I built for him to train in!" Trunks looked at her, stunned into silence. They both heard Vegeta's cursing as he stormed out of the GR and stopped before them.

"What the hell is all the screeching about, Woman!" Vegeta crossed his arms and glared at the both of them. Bulma mirrorred his stance and tapped her foot in agitation.

"For your information; your old spaceship is gone! Somebody stole it out of the storage room!" His father's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Why would someone need it?

"But, Mom, that's impossible! That someone must've had access to the labs and storage room, which means that they must've gotten past the retinal scan!" He interrupted and his parents both looked at him.

"Yes, you're right Trunks. Nothing's been destroyed as far as I could see, but the capsule is definitely gone. The only ones who have access are you, Bra, your father and me. But we didn't do it, so...?" A buzz was heard as the door of the GR opened and Trunks stood dazedly as little Gojita came running out of the GR walking where his Grandfather had been moments before. There was a frown on his little face as he ran into his Uncle Trunks' arms and buried his face into the crook of his neck. Both his parents turned to look at him and his little nephew.

"What's wrong, Gojita?" He quietly asked the child, who pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Panny-chan is gone! I can't feel her ki anywhere!" Trunks' eyes widened and he got a distant look in his eyes as he sensed for his friend's ki. He was shocked to find that it was true. Bulma looked over at Vegeta and he nodded to confirm the little boy's admission. She crossed her arms again in agitation.

"Of course! She has access to the labs too!" Bulma walked over to the wall next to the counter and punched in the security code. The panelling moved aside and a small vid-screen with intricate controls was revealed. After punching in some commands she retrieved the date of the last visit to the storage room. She nodded as she recognized the date; precisely a week ago.

Turning back toward her husband and son who had uncomprehending expressions on their faces, she nodded again and leaned back against the wall, "I gave Pan access to the labs some time ago. She likes to help me with inventing new stuff - she even created the new fighting robots," she redirected her gaze to a blank spot on the cealing, mentally scolding herself for her own foolishness.

"She asked me if she could help, and I reluctantly agreed to let her help me and see if she was any good. Well, judging by your reactions, I'd say the girl's pretty smart." Trunks had put Gojita down some time ago and was now standing with his arms crossed, looking so much like his father it almost made Vegeta smirk as he noticed it.

"And why, exactly, didn't you mention this earlier, Mother?" Bulma's face turned to anger at her son's audacity, but she quickly calmed down as she realized that he was painfully right. Her retort was cut off before it even began as they heard the voice of the Earth's Guardian inside their minds.

* * *

About a half an hour later, just about everyone was present at Dende's palace grounds. Chi Chi arrived lastly in one of her old capsule planes and Bulma made a mental note to give a new one to the woman as soon as possible. Vegeta stood next to her and observed all of the people gathered here. Even the Weakling had come up here to listen to what Dende had to say, but Vegeta wondered why - Yamcha was a weakling after all and everybody knew it! 

The young God emerged from the housing accompanied by Hell's Guardian. Goku Jr. and Gojita, who had previously been chatting about their different punches, sprung from their sitting places near the ever-present flower beds and ran toward Piccolo.

"Mr. Piccolo!" They both yelled as they each grabbed a pant leg of the tall Namekian and looked up with huge eyes. Piccolo looked down at them with a smirk on his lips, which turned into a full-fledged smile as he saw the smiling face of his old student.

"Hello Piccolo. How are you?" Gohan walked forward and shook hands with him, smiling before retracting his nephew and son from his former sensei's legs.

"I'm fine, Kid. It's nice to see you again, even though we don't have very good news." Piccolo nodded in thanks as Dende came up next to him and smiled at his friends. Bulma stepped forward with a frown on her face. Dende, understanding her silent but obvious curiosity, took on a serious look once again. Chi Chi interrupted him before he could begin speaking.

"This has to do with Pan, doesn't it?" Dende nodded gravely as she continued, "She left about a week ago, she said that she needed some time alone to train more diligently. I didn't want to let her go, but she seemed unstoppable." Chi Chi folded her arms as she remembered the day. Ever since then she had been worried; Pan had been gone for far too long now.

"Pan stole a spaceship from my storage room last week." Bulma admitted and squared her shoulders as she brooded over why Pan could possibly need the ship for the umpteenth time. Gohan and Videl were listening to all this in a daze. Dawning realisation was visible on Gohan's face like a sun rising.

"And you all wait until NOW to tell us! What were you thinking, Mom! You should've told us earlier!" Gohan turned to his mother and glared very uncharacteristically at her. Chi Chi raised her head and something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone before he could read it, for it was replaced with anger.

"You listen here, Gohan! I thought she would be back after a couple of days, so I didn't see the need to make you worry or go after her, when she specifically asked me to leave her in peace to train! I, for one, respect her wishes! Besides, you could've checked up on her more often!" Gohan cowered a little and Goten cringed as he thanked the powers that be that he wasn't at the receiving end of the unmistakable tirade that was to follow if nobody stopped it. Bra frowned at her husband and mate and then turned her gaze to Earth's Guardian, who had been silent for quite a while now.

"But why would she possibly need Dad's old ship? If she'd wanted to train alone she could've done it on Earth! She must be up to something drastic." Bra redirected the conversation and everyone was thankful for it. Dende and Piccolo nodded.

"It's not that hard to figure out, you know," Gojita spoke up and Goku nodded in agreement. The gang turned toward the two little boys with confused frowns on their faces. Bra walked over to her little boy and crouched down in front of him, wiping an unruly lock of black hair away from his face affectionately. Her son looked very much like Goten, but still had some of her traits, like her blue eyes and unbelievable intelligence. Though she could fight quite well herself, his great strength was definitely from Goten. Unlike Goku Jr. who looked very much like a little Goku, even more so than Goten had been when he was young.

"You know something we don't, huh?" Bra asked softly and looked into his soft blue eyes, then glanced at Goku briefly. The other boy was looking at the sky with narrowed eyes, as if actually looking for something, perhaps for his absent sister.

"Mom! Think about it; what does Pan want the most?" His mother smiled a little, thinking of how perfect her brother and friend would fit together, but considered the other possibilties as well. Her eyes widened as she turned back to the others.

"Of course! How could I have missed it!" Bra jumped up and turned back to the group, crossing her arms in self-satisfaction. They looked at her with mystified faces as she smiled secretively and walked over to Chi Chi.

Gently taking the older woman's hands in hers, she announced with a huge smile on her face, "Pan went to New Namek to gather the Dragonballs and wish for the one thing that you have missed the most."

"Grandpa!" Gojita and Goku Jr. yelled together.

And everything fell into place like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

* * *

Pan blinked sleep from her eyes as she woke from her slumber and stretched comfortably. A frown slipped onto her face as she remembered the last few days of dwelling inside the ship. Though her strength had increased dramatically over time, because of her undisturbed training under 500 times Earth's normal gravity, it had helped little to make her forget home. 

It had been 7 days since she'd left Earth, about 3 days since she'd landed, courtesy of a much needed refill of gas on some obnoxious planet named Clamok. Due to her hurried leave of Earth, she'd forgotten to check the fuel. Clamok had been filled with millions of lizard-like men trying to cop a feel on anything remotely female. She had tried to remain friendly and thanked them for their refill of her ship, but as soon as possible she'd fled from the face of the planet.

The trip to New Namek was taking longer than the estimated time, but there was nothing to do about it. She would land in about two hours, if she was correct and this thought made her glad. She could hardly wait to set foot on the green planet, for the spaceship was making her feel a little too claustrophobic.

Dragging herself into the bathroom, Pan looked into the full length mirror and swept her gaze over her reflection, content that her muscles were hidden from view until she flexed or powered up. It gave her an undeniable advantage toward any enemy she might encounter.

Yes, deluding an enemy was one of the most important things to do, because it would lead to surprise, which in turn gave her the momentum to initiate an attack.

She slipped her clothes off and once again looked into the mirror. Pan wondered what made her any less beautiful than other women; this caused her to shake her head in horror. What had become of her? Since when did she ever compare herself to anyone else?

'Never!' Pan shook herself and stepped into the shower, turning the water to scalding hot. She toyed with the idea of training some more, but decided against it when she thought about how much time it would take to finish her shower, dress herself and devour breakfast.

When she finished and stepped out of the stall, Pan grabbed a towel from the rack and roughly dried her hair. Her hands pulled it back into a high ponytail with the help of an elestic band that had been lying in bathroom. She had been pleasantly surprised when she had found lots of things still lying around the roomy ship. Her own clothes and things added made her living space rather comfortable.

Satisfied that the locks were out of her face, she donned a robe and walked out to her drawer to grab an aqua blue bra and blue panties to match. After slipping them on, Pan walked over to the closet and opened it, scrutinizing her outfits.

Contemplating the cleverness of wearing Saiyajin armor or even normal Earthling clothes, Pan opted for her orange training gi, which resembled her grandfather's undoubtedly.

It seemed smart to her to wear this, for the elder Namekians would surely recognize the clothing for what it was; a very near copy of the clothes worn by the savior of their race. Convincing the people there to believe she was indeed a relative of Goku seemed much easier this way, which in turn meant it would make it more easy for her to convince them to give her the Dragonballs to wish him back to life.

"It should be no problem to separate him from Earth's dragon and convince Goku to come back to us. When he sees Chi Chi again and the state that she's in, it will surely make him change his mind. When I wish him back, he will appear on Earth, not where I am. That means I will have to travel back alone." She sighed as she plopped into the chair that was in front of the controls. The computer indicated only 2 more minutes before landing.

Though she would never actually admit it, she was terribly lonely in this ship and it was bugging her. She would love to see other people right about now. Strapping herself in, Pan took a deep breath and readied herself for the rough landing that was sure to follow.

* * *

Pan smiled broadly as she saw all the young Namekians skittering around, playing with each other only metres away from where she sat. Letting her gaze roam the open fields and the sky, her smile broadened even more. 

The Namekians had given her a warm welcome once they recognized the gi and she had explained who she was and the reason she was here. They were glad to finally hear from Earth once again, even happier that it was under good circumstances, namely to wish back Goku.

Elder Muuri smiled back at her, his old green face wrinkling up with the act of kindness. They were sharing a meal together, after which she would go looking for the orange orbs in every village on the planet.

The little children ran up to her and asked her all kinds of questions, and Pan answered them gladly. It was so nice to see this peaceful race fairing so well, even after all these years. Her father had told her all about the little green people, but she had not expected them to be this gracious towards her.

"Miss Pan, would you like some more water?" Pan nodded slightly, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and accepting the new glass with a thankful grin. The Namekian named Samei nodded back, then turned to look at his younger siblings running around, playing tag with each other. She followed his gaze and nodded to herself.

It would be a shame to ever see this peace violated.

* * *

Piccolo frowned. He had been observing Pan for the past few weeks, though he hadn't been able to define why. He guessed it was because he had grown fond of her over the years. With Gohan all grown up, he had become quite protective of his quarter Saiyajin daughter. And then he'd sensed her in his meditation and it had made him worried. Now his worries had been proven justified. 

"Has she gone insane! What if she gets hurt?" Goten raged, but stopped as Videl laid her hand on his forearm. He calmed significantly as he gazed into the endless blue eyes of his wife, who smiled and hesitantly turned her gaze back to the group.

"Well, it seems the only thing we can do, is wait," She stopped momentarily as a look of concern flitted over her features, "The only way to find out if she succeeds is to stay here and wait for Goku-san to appear." A smile made its way to her face as she remembered the good natured man that was her father-in-law and his warm welcome into the Son family all those years ago.

"Yes. I will try to contact her somehow and find out if she's alright." Bulma spoke up. Pan's parents shot her a thankful look. She nodded to herself as she thought about how to contact the spaceship.

Vegeta stood beside his mate with his arms crossed and glared at the tiled floor in thought. It had been a desperate attempt of the young woman, but a brave one. Though it made him wonder why she even bothered; last time they had attempted to bring Goku back, he had refused. He'd said he thought it best to stay dead.

'Bullshit.' Vegeta had long ago decided as he had watched the strong woman Chi Chi crumple over the days, and weeks, and years.

"I will try to keep an eye on her from down there, but there is not much more I can do." Piccolo offered as he turned his eyes toward his former student. Gohan shot him a grateful glance and nodded.

Trunks sighed, feeling guilty that he and Panny had parted on such bad terms. But he couldn't believe how foolish she was for going out there all by herself! She could be hurt, or worse. What if something happened to her?

* * *

Pan shot up in bed and swiftly glanced around, the look in her eyes not at all like one who had been sleeping for the past few hours. But she was always a light sleeper; Vegeta had once told her that it was easy to become weak in times of peace. Always stay prepared, he had said and she had taken it to heart. 

There was nothing to be seen however - it must've been outside, so she allowed herself to relax slightly.

Looking back down at her pillow and the sheets, she knew that trying to get back to sleep would be useless. She simply knew she'd heard something and now it would not let her go before she checked it out.

Rising from the much too comfortable bed inside her modest ship, she wondered what could've woken her up when the ship was soundproof, courtesy of Bulma Briefs, genius inventor. It must've been really loud then, and she didn't like the thought of that. At all.

Padding toward the door of the ship, her body as tense as a spring, she pushed the red button on the left side of the door and it swished open. However, Pan was ill prepared for the sight that greeted her like a harsh slap in the proverbial face. It was..

The forest in which she had landed earlier that day seemed mostly intact, but as she walked out into the open, her gasp seemed to echo throughout the clearing, through the loud silence.

The once green fields were barren, shades of brown coating everything in a melancholy blanket of merciless destruction. Once proud dome-like houses laid in ruins, mocking the very things that once represented the homes of a peaceful race. Even the sky seemed to weep for the loss of this kind of untainted peace as the rain poured down on the ground like the beat of a drum.

Her eyes travelled over the scene, her fists clenching as she flew over to the nearest village, the one she had been at earlier in the day. A gasp escaped her once again as her eyes came to rest on the bodies there, and the tears gathered in her eyes as she recognized the little children's bodies as well.

"No.. Everyone... They're dead.. Why?" Her raspy voice broke the deadly silence like a whip, but she did not care for it. This wasn't supposed to happen to these people! They didn't deserve it, nothing of it! She had never seen anything like it in her life, it would be forever imprinted on her mind. Her fists slowly unclenched as she realized that had she been awake, she would've been able to stop whatever had caused this.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" But before Pan could react to the threat in that low voice, or even turn around to face it, a flaming pain shot up her spine and the world turned black, swiftly sinking into the welcoming abyss of unconciousness.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was the faint dripping sound some ways away from where she was. The ground was extremely cold underneath her body, chills running up and down her spine and goosebumps sprung up on her skin. Her eyes were closed, for she didn't dare open them yet. 

One thing was for sure; she was NOT in her spaceship, and definitely not at home.

The cold seeped into her bones insistantly, and she wasn't able to lie there much longer before she opened her eyes and forced herself to sit up. Strangely enough she didn't feel sore at all, which made her realize that they must've used some sort of apparatus to knock her out, instead of attempting to beat her up.

Pan grunted as she attempted to sit up. After some struggle, and discovering that they had put restraints on both her hands and feet, she slumped against a cold wall with a tired sigh.

Now that her eyes had significantly adjusted to the darkness, she looked around the room, before discovering that no normal person would have the nerve to call it a room. It was more like an oversized, but cramped box of some kind. The only light came from a little round hole on one side, in what seemed to be the only exit out of this place.

She moved her wrists a little, trying to see if there was any way out of them. The only thing she nearly succeeded in was dislocating her wrists, and her feet weren't cooperating either. Just when she was going to use her ki, the door was thrown open with a bang and two men stepped in, the faint light illuminating them with an unholy glow.

The moment they touched her skin to untie her feet and lift her to a stand, a shiver ran down her spine like horses hurriedly galloping in an open field, fleeing. Pan wanted to get away as soon as possible, but as she saw the armor they both wore she decided to wait and see how this would play out. They must be an organisation of some sort, and since she couldn't sense any significant ki at all - she would let them drag and (occasionally) push her.

The halls they entered were made of brick, but the doors that lined them were of some sort of metal that didn't seem familiar to her eyes. She kept her eyes on the two men constantly, and studied them.

The one to the left of her had a huge bluish hairdo, and his eyes were a dark amber, weirdly standing out on his lemon-coloured complexion. He was one of the ugliest men Pan had ever seen in her life. The armor he wore was a deep black, and a golden crest was on his left upper side, near his shoulder. It said something Pan couldn't figure out, so she shifted her gaze to the other on her right.

His appearance was a bit easier on the eyes, but nothing special. His skin was a light orange, his flame red hair cropped short and eyes the colour of midnight blue. He wore the same armor as the other, but this was a shade lighter, which she guessed was due to his higher rank.

Their step was brisk and their stances ridiculously straight as they came up to the first double doors she had seen up until now. The man with the blue hair spoke to one of the guards at the door in a language she didn't understand and they waltzed in.

It seemed to be some sort of lab, and it looked like they were already waiting for her arrival. Without further ado, the two pushed her down into a chair, and one of the white-coated men in the room walked over with a little square between his thumb and pointer finger, a hesitant, placating smile on his face.

Pan's eyes widened as they restrained her and pushed her head foreward. She tried to struggle, but she was still weakened from whatever apparatus they'd used on her earlier. Then the doctor bent slightly over her body, and firmly pressed the little square onto her hairline. The expected wave of pain didn't come, and Pan hesitantly straightened herself.

"Now you can hear me, can't you?" The doctor asked her, the same friendly smile plastered on his features. Pan nodded in astonishment. He must've put some kind of translator device on her, and now she could hear everyone.

Pan quietly studied the man in front of her. He looked completely different from the two guards that took her here. His skin was a rough-looking grey, and he had pointy ears and black hair. All in all, not an unfriendly looking man.

"Well, as you probably already know, I've put a translator on the back of your head which you will wear until you've fully learned our language. Now we can all understand you." The doctor paused a moment to look her over once for injuries, but saw none. Though he did see that she was wearing very little clothes, which could work to her disadvantage, knowing those two guards.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" Pan hesitated for a moment.

"Hn. My name's Pan." The man's eyes brightened, but before he could say anymore, she was roughly pulled up from the chair by the guards and they shoved her forward out of the lab. Pan scowled at the two, but they didn't even glance at her.

They walked down the hall and stood in front of the two biggest doors she had ever seen. They were wooden, but with gold patterns on it and it looked to be very heavy as two guards at either side of it pushed it open.

She had to keep her mouth from hitting the ground when she saw the huge throne room. People were sitting on the ground, some were walking with large plates with food on them, and Pan guessed they were slaves by the poor clothes they wore.

Her eyes trailed the broad royal red carpet toward the throne at the end of the room. On it was a man, imposing and regal-looking. He had a frighteningly pale complexion, with brown hair in shining waves and it was braided, lying almost limply over his right shoulder. He wore pure white armor with a red cape tied on both sides. His spandex was a dark red, instead of the dark blue of the guards'. The man's body was defined with muscles, the spandex only serving to make him more attractive - she absent- mindedly estimated him to be in his thirties.

But as Pan and the guards reached the back of the room, and they forced her to bow with little stuggle, she could sense a.. a wrongness to the man that was definitely unsettling. And when the man came off his throne and pushed her chin up with one finger to make her meet his demanding eyes, she could clearly see the blackness, the evil, in those impossibly violet eyes.

"Hello Little One," Pan's stomach almost lurched as his fingertips travelled down her neck, caressed it deceptively gently, and eventually rested on her nearly bare shoulder. She said nothing back to the handsome man, instead opting for glaring at him in silence. It didn't affect the man at all, however.

"I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?" The man paused a minute, trying to see if he could coax a reaction from the stoic young woman in front of him, "I am Lord Ikaika from the planet Dagoba, where you are currently."

Meanwhile, Pan was studying her surroundings, sensing ki's and trying to find out how much time it would take for her to heal completely, so she could get the hell out of there. The man in front of her raised an eyebrow at her obvious ignorance of him, before his expression turned positively livid. He obviously didn't take lightly to people ignoring him.

"Little One," His tone of voice made Pan turn her attention back to him abruptly, "I am your Master from now on, so I suggest you listen intently to what I have to say or you will be disciplined." Pan, however, wasn't impressed by his threats.

"Do you honestly think you can beat me?" she stood up slowly and looked Ikaika straight in the eye, "I'm much stronger than you will ever be." To her surprise a smile surfaced on his lips and he nodded slightly.

"Yes, I know. That is why I have decided to keep you here." Ikaika's smile widened as Pan raised a delicate eyebrow. She began to doubt his hearing abilities, but was distracted as her 'Master' once again ran his hand down her dove's neck.

"And how do you suppose to do that, Your Holiness?" Pan mocked him with a smirk on her face. Ikaika's face crumpled up into a nasty frown, and his eyes darkened until they were nearly as black as Earth's nighttime sky. Then she felt something touch her mind, seeking entrance but not succeeding. A shiver ran down her spine at the cold touches and she realized with a start that this was Ikaika's doing.

A frustrated, but surprised sigh escaped his mouth as he realized that breaking into her mind, breaking this woman would take longer than he had previously expected, but before long his dark eyes lit up with a plan.

It was like an iron fist encompassed her mind, not yet breaking, but squeezing and clenching it. A pain, the kind of which she had never felt before, grabbed a hold of her and she furiously bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming out. A startled gasp pierced the sudden silence in the room as her back arched and her head fell back, exposing more of her satiny neck, and in doing so, pushing her chest forward.

"Now, what was her name?" He looked at the guards still down on their knees in front of him, and motioned for them to answer impatiently.

"The doctor found out it was Pan, my Lord." Ikaika nodded, and turned back to his 'catch'. She was a special one, this woman, and he would so enjoy breaking her spirit.

"Well, Panny," He paused again, enjoying how that name rolled of his purple tongue, "don't ever disobey me again, do you understand?"

But Pan wasn't able to answer, before everything went black once again.

* * *

The plot has developed a bit more. Pan's in peril, on Earth they're trying to contact her, and everything's getting out of hand. What will happen next? 

Well, comments and criticism are welcome as always. Hope you like.


	3. Spineless

Hey,

I have loads of time, so I'm trying to update as much as I can. I'm reformatting as well, so be on the lookout.

Enjoy!

_

* * *

_

**Almost Doesn't Count  
**  
_Chapter 3 - Spineless  
_

**

* * *

**Meanwhile, on Earth everyone was waiting impatiently for either the return of Pan, and perhaps even Goku. The group had grown closer together once more, the Sons constantly calling to see if Bulma and Trunks had succeeded in connecting Pan's ship. To their disappointment, the two couldn't connect to the ship, because it was one of Bulma's old models. Much had changed, systems and everything, and it was possible the ship was just too far away. 

But, Piccolo finally appeared at Dende's Lookout once again, and called all of them to him.

After everyone had arrived, and the anticipation in the air had reached the breaking point, Piccolo and Dende walked out of the Palace with a measured step. As they neared the anxious group, their expressions became visible and Bra frowned when they kept quiet. She could sense that they had trouble wording what they were about to say.

"Hmph. Just spit it out." Bra barked with her arms crossed, and she ignored her father's amused smirk. Vegeta found it very amusing that she sometimes looked so much like him.

"Fine. I'm afraid I've got good and bad news," Piccolo paused as worried frowns surfaced on the many faces gathered at Dende's Lookout, "Pan has found the Dragonballs, but before she could make a wish Namek was attacked."

A collective gasp was heard, and it echoed between them. Trunks' mind worked furiously as he tried to comprehend what was happening, or specifically, what had happened to Pan. Gohan frowned and stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides.

"But she fought and won from whoever it was, didn't she? I mean, she has this conviction that she has to keep training, so it wouldn't be possible for her to be defeated, or captured." To Trunks it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anyone else. However, Piccolo's frown deepened as he shook his head.

"Pan got captured," The green Namek shook his head in wonderment. One moment he was intently watching to the looking glass in Hell, glad that the girl was fine, and the next he saw Pan being flown away from a partially destroyed Namek.

"_What!_" Gohan burst out, and Videl grabbed onto his forearm with a delicate hand, trying to get her husband to calm down. She gazed into his eyes calmly. It seemed to work once again, because now Gohan's voice sounded significantly calmer.

"Where did they take her? And who?"

"It's an out of the way planet – I don't know its name – but it's in the Ika system and it seems like they have time regulators on it," Piccolo paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his sharp green face. "Which means that while they have had Pan for only about 1 day here, it's already been about nine months at this backwater planet."

"Nine months!" Bra spoke up, surprised that someone could hold onto Pan for so long, but already trying to calculate how much time it would take to get a spaceship all prepared for flight. While Trunks was more fixed on designing cars and everything on Earth itself, and Bulma more on building (space) ships, Bra was much more interested in space travel in itself and where the planets were located. "Can you give me the exact coordinates, Piccolo?" The stoic Namek nodded and told her as Bra punched the coordinates into her palm computer.

"Do you want to go and retrieve her?" Vegeta spoke up in a tone that indicated he found it the most ridiculous idea ever. Bra shot an angry glance at her father, standing there so arrogantly with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of course, Father. I _don't_ think Pan would've stayed on the damn planet if she could've found _herself_ a way out!" Bra snapped. Goten nodded, his eyes shining with worry for his niece.

"I agree with Bra. Pan's a strong girl, but the ones that captured her must be even stronger. It's the only explanation." He said and his eyes met with his brother's briefly, who nodded gravely in silent understanding.

"Then we must go and find her." Bulma said, turning to Piccolo. She was planning to get as much information out of him as possible.

* * *

The soldiers stood rigidly, flinching slightly when the General's stare trailed its way over the differently coloured faces and occasionally met new eyes that had yet to be disciplined by said General. 

The soldiers glanced at each other. This General was something else. Upon their present General's arrival on Planet Dagoba, their Lord Ikaika had immediately murdered the old one, and let this one take its place. They had all been displeased with their old commander, so they had been happy to be rid of him.

And indeed, they had reason to rejoice, for this new General had been a lot nicer than any they had had before. Though she was a woman, she was the strongest being any of them had ever encountered before. She was a kind woman, and any soldier in her force would be lying if they said they hadn't checked her out at least once. But despite their furious tries to get her to notice them, Lord Ikaika had made it painfully clear to them that it was forbidden to even look at her anymore with that state of mind. She was there to train them, and nothing more.

Of course, they didn't know, or perhaps they did, that this wasn't the case for their fearsome leader.

They soon found out that the longer their General trained them to be the best of the best, the stricter she became. And if anyone had the audacity to really look at her, they would see the pain in her eyes, and the despair. They would be able to see that every day she died a little more inside, another piece of her broke to be lost forever.

But nobody ever did.

Lord Ikaika, however, did gaze at his little General all the time, and he enjoyed every minute of watching that strong soul crumble at his feet like a fragile piece of glass. And one day, he would own that soul, not to mention that body.

But there was no rush. After all, he had all the time in the world.

* * *

"You call _that_ a roundhouse kick?" She snapped harshly at one of her men, and his whole body tensed. A scowl marred her features as she scrutinized the room. From the corner of her eye she could see the soldier relaxing again, and she glared at him. 

"Rivi, if you ever want to be a soldier, I suggest you start _acting_ like one!" Turning on her heel, she stalked away, only stopping briefly in the threshold to the Great Training Hall to cast a warning glare at her men as they looked at her retreating back.

"Tomorrow, 5:30, here. Dismissed." She barked, before leaving the room entirely.

Her posture slumped slightly from its former straightness as she trudged into her room and plopped down on her bed, her training gear sticking to her skin. She knew that she should change for dinner, but opted to just lie for a couple more minutes. Besides, her clothes hadn't even been brought in yet.

As if on cue a knock was heard at her double doors, and before she could react, they were already opened, and a small figure made its way in. Unbidden, a tiny smirk appeared on her lips and she slowly sat up to greet the person.

"Hello Miss Pan. I brought you your clothing for this evening's dinner." A curt nod was his answer as Pan slid off the bed and came over to inspect the dress. It was a skimpy number, by the looks of it hardly able to cover anything. But she was used to it by now. After being on Dagoba for about 11 months, it was hard not to.

"Thanks, Ice." Her voice was a monotone as she took the dress out of his hands and threw it carelessly on the bed. Turning back to the two other men now in the room besides Ice, the guards, she gave them a warning glare. They understood directly, and closed the door behind them, leaving the Tsiru-jin inside with her.

"How are you?" His soft voice penetrated the comfortable silence as Pan sat down on the edge of her bed. She frowned and shook her head at the dress, before lifting her head to warily regard her guest.

She had met Ice in the giant library in the palace one day, about 6 days after her arrival, when she had healed sufficiently from her first encounter. Lord Ikaika had almost immediately made her General of his armies after he had seen her fighting skills. This had given her a certain amount of freedom, for her 'Lord' had nothing to fear of her. She had swiftly found out just how powerful a weapon a mind could be – thus her hopes of ever escaping had quickly dwindled down.

Ice was a librarian and one of the healers/scientists, and sometimes their Lord let him run errands like he was doing at the moment.. Pan knew that he was the only heir of the Cold family, brother to one or perhaps two of her grandfather's early enemies, but he was the only nice person she had met since arriving, and when you're all alone on a foreign planet filled with nothing but bastards you just about take what you can get.

He had been a helpful and good friend to her, and he was nearly the only one that could make her face shift into a facsimile of a smile. His stark white complexion, and his purple 'pads' fascinated her. Ice was the only Tsiru-jin she'd ever actually met, but apparently also the only one that still remained alive. Or at least until Ikaika got enough of him.

"As good as a human like me can get around here." A shoulder lifted in a casual shrug. "But the soldiers are still shitty. I've got one or two exceptions, but the rest is a disgrace." She picked the dress off of the soft, large bed and walked over to the paper screen with it, stepping behind it and began to undress.

First came the light grey armor, which she tossed onto a nearby chair. Stretching her arms above her head and to the side, Pan revelled in the freedom of movement she got by simply removing the darn thing. They didn't have a women's armor on the planet, for normally women did not fight. She was an exception, but that didn't mean that Ikaika would let them make new armor for her – he just made her wear it.

"Ikaika requests you wear the dress, because he has guests joining youfor dinner." Ice's voice drifted through the room as she removed her boots and dark red spandex suit. It was just a shade different from Ikaika's, which indicated her high ranking, the same for the armor.

She stepped into the shower and turned the knobs, quickly rinsing the sweat off before she powered up and dried instantly.

"He just wants to show me off." Muttering obscenities under her breath, Pan slipped into the skimpy dress. Barefoot, she walked from behind the screen and over to her mirror. Turning around to inspect the back, she scowled disdainfully.

The pure white colour of the dress accentuated her caramel complexion perfectly, and it shone through as hell. Two strings tied behind her neck, the thin material resting on her chest loosely. A rather indecent amount of cleavage showed, and the back was impossibly low. The dress stopped mid- thigh, showing her long, toned legs.

Braiding her hair loosely, said braid fell to about mid-back and swished with each movement of her supple body. Due to the looseness of the braid, many raven bangs framed her heart-shaped face. The scowl deepened as she realized that lifting her arms only made her cleavage more prominent. She would have to keep her arms as low as possible, that was for certain.

"It's just a _dress_, Miss Pan. Here are the shoes and your jewellery." Ice handed her two sets of silver bracelets and a pair of long silver earrings, which she grudgingly put on. She turned around and slipped into the shoes he had placed there. They were a silvery colour also, with extremely high heels.

Having experienced this many times before, she could decently walk on the abominations. That didn't mean that her feet wouldn't hurt like hell in the morning.

"Well, how do I look?" Growling, Pan swivelled to the Tsiru-jin, a positively livid look on her face. The bastard always made her wear these stupid dresses. Well, at least when she wasn't training his soldiers to be as good as her. Hn, as if that was possible when the majority of the guys she trained were uninterested, uncoordinated, sex-crazed fools. And that was another flaw in his army; there wasn't a woman in sight!

"You look beautiful, Miss Pan," at the unbelieving glint in her eyes, he quickly added, "really!" and chuckled heartily. Pan glared at him, though there was a sparkle in her eyes that spoke of inner mirth.

"Oh shut up, you bastard! How would you feel if you wore so little fabric?" She walked over to the doors of her room and opened them, only shooting a glance at her friend over one shoulder to indicate that he should follow her out of her room. Nodding, Ice joined her in her stride down the long halls of the palace.

"So, who are these guests you were talking about?" She asked as they turned the corner at the end of one large hall, only to enter another.Near the entrance to the library, which happened to be on their way, they paused briefly.

"I believe it's the representative of a famous trading planet from a nearby system. His wife should be present too, so Ikaika requires you to act like his wife. He indeed wants to show you off." Ice smiled sympathetically at her, but her eyes had hardened and she just nodded curtly before saying goodbye to her only friend.

The white fabric of the breezy dress swished as she strode further, trying not to notice the leering gazes she received from the soldiers standing on duty or strolling down the halls. Finally arriving at the huge double doors that would lead her into her Lord's private dining room, she gave a curt nod at the soldiers that stood at attention next to either side of the doors.

They opened the doors for her, and she squared her shoulders before entering the huge room. Smiling falsely as a chair was pulled out for her, Pan sat down and looked around. The Lord was sitting at the head of the table, and the representative and his wife on the other seats.

"Welcome, my dear. May I introduce to you Lord Ira and his wife, Mistress Cuor from the planet Shi. Lord, Mistress – this is Pan, my wife." Yeah right. Pan resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and nodded politely to the guests. Both foreigners were yellow-coloured, and looked a bit like cats if you ignored their skin colour. They had pointy ears and tails, but their mouths looked humanoid.

Mistress Cuor was a pretty woman, not beautiful, but she looked nice enough. And Lord Ira wasn't ugly either. They both nodded back at Pan, and then continued talking to Ikaika while eating their meal. She didn't listen, just tried to ignore the yellow man's eyes on her body. He was leering at her, trying to be inconspicuous but obviously failing.

"I'm sorry, _honey_," Pan tried not to let the sarcasm drip from the endearment, "but I'm a bit tired from the day's activities. May I be excused?" She smiled her prettiest smile at him, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want dessert?" He sternly asked her, the glint in his eyes telling her that if she did not sit down there would be hell to pay after his guests had left. Pan smiled politely and sat down again.

"All right then. I guess a bit of dessert wouldn't hurt." Her eyes lowered to her plate, trying to ignore the smug smirk on her Lord's face. She was so weak. But thinking of what the punishment would've been if she hadn't obeyed, a shudder trailed over her skin. Not that she wouldn't be punished for her insolence, but perhaps he would show some mercy.

She had never begged him, though.

* * *

Pan couldn't help but let a heavy sigh escape her mouth as she trudged into her room. She locked the door behind her then walked over to the bed, letting the jewellery fall onto the ground on her way, and the rubber band that was in her half-braided hair followed its descend. Raising her tired arms to behind her neck, she untied the knot there and let the dress fall to the ground too, until she was left in her panties and shoes. 

The shoes. God, those godforsaken, terrible shoes. They certainly hadn't helped her in trying to get away from her loving Lord.

After dinner was finished, and the guests had retired to their rooms, Ikaika had ordered her to stay behind. Every soldier, every slave had had to leave the room. Not that they minded, no, every 'staff' member of the palace was used to it by now. And they didn't even look up anymore when they heard suspicious screams coming from the dining room, or the main living room, or any other place their Lord would become a little angry and take it out on his followers. Specifically her. Only she was different: she never made a single sound, and it only made him angrier.

She shuddered as she remembered what he had done. When she had arrived at this place, she had been quite confident that she would get out of there. A dry chuckle danced past her chapped lips as Pan let her heavy, weary body fall back onto the soft bed. False confidence never helped anybody.

_And he doesn't even have to touch me._ A listless hand was placed on an empty stomach. It was the truest sentence she had ever heard before. Well, except when her father said that she would never become a... Back up.

She picked up her thoughts again. The seemingly powerless Lord Ikaika wasn't feared by his underlings, his enemies and allies for no reason. No, after that first time in the throne room she quickly found out why they feared him so.

Ikaika was an empath, and a mind controller. He could make people suffer by intruding their minds, finding their deepest fears and using those to control them. And he could feel your fear, and your suffering at any given time, he took pleasure from it. But, then he did have to have access to your mind.

Thankfully, Ikaika did not have access to her mind yet, though if things continued the way they were, she didn't think she would last long. Then again, he did not fully control her mind yet, but he didn't have to; it was already more painful than she could have ever imagined. Pain like nothing else trailed through her veins when he grasped her mind and encompassed it with his own. He could go on and on, until her blood felt like it was on fire.

Already, she could feel the urge to vomit rise back up inside of her.

But Pan calmed herself with thoughts of home, home where her family was, and her friends. Dreams like that plagued her mind, but they held no value to her anymore besides comfort. Perhaps it would be better to forget all about them, and try to live on without them. They would never find her, and maybe she didn't want them to.

How could she tell them that she had failed to do what she had left for; her sole purpose. Failure was something she had never handled very well, and this was the only thing she wished for in her whole life – the one thing she desperately wanted to accomplish.

It didn't matter anymore, anyway. She couldn't do anything to her Lord, and trying to raise a resistance in the palace wouldn't help. Everybody was too afraid. And trying to kill herself didn't work either; she'd tried. He'd punished her. The next day she hadn't been able to attend to training.

Control was such a fragile thing. Once you thought you had it, it was gone. Just like happiness; rotten things happen so we can see the difference between the two, between good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when you lose sight of the borders between these things? If all was so soon lost, why did people live? Trust and betrayal, love and hate, hope and despair: weren't all of these things just lies? Were there really borders or was it all the same thing?

There's a fine line between love and hate, but isn't there between all of these things a minimal difference, negligible even?

What was a person without hope? Without love, without trust and without strength? Where was the justice in being captured on a planet, tortured day in and day out? How was she to have hope when there was not a thing giving her any indication that there was hope to be had?

Drawing herself slightly further up onto the bed, she crawled silently underneath the satin covers. A mind full of emptiness and a body filled with pain.

* * *

On the other side of the universe, a small child cried in the night. It echoed on the inside of a spaceship rounder than the Earth itself. It was large and spacious, the room the child was in was dark and cold to his eyes. His hair stood in all directions, naturally formed that way but even worse now. 

The tears slipping down his face, accompanied by soft hiccups, were a testimony to the pain he felt inside his small body. Drowned in the memories of his nightmare, he didn't notice the other dark form sitting down beside him, until there was a small hand laid upon his shivering shoulder.

Quickly he looked up into the stern face of his friend, a surprised look on his own youthful face. His friend's dark eyes held sympathy, and Gogeta's strong arms surrounded him in a child's embrace. Comforted by this, the hiccups died down and he was able to look up after a while.

"Boys don't cry." Gogeta whispered, his voice small and insincere. "What was it about?"

Goku looked down at his hands, ashamed of himself. He shook it off as he remembered what his awful nightmare had been about. "Pan, Go. It was about Panny. She... she's in pain. I could feel everything..." A shiver went through his body.

Gogeta's face seemed to tighten, his eyes fiery even in the darkness. Goku looked back up at his friend, wiping the drying tears from his cheeks.

"Tomorrow we'll tell Mom and Dad and the rest."

* * *

"Are you _serious_?" 

It sounded disbelieving, as if the mere mention of the possibility was insane, ridiculous. Yet little Goku looked more serious than he'd ever been before. His eyes were narrowed, quite angry that nobody except Gogeta seemed to believe in him.

"Of course I'm serious, it's not everyday I dream about my sister being in pain!" He yelled, then clapped a hand over his own mouth, looking very guilty and sorry for being so rude to the grown-ups. His father glanced at him, wanting to be mad, but not capable of it. The young boy seemed so intent on proving he was right, that perhaps he was.

After all, weirder things had happened to their family and friends.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Chi Chi asked, stroking a gentle hand through Goku's wild hair. She wore a worried frown, more things on her mind than she could count. Videl laid a hand on her shoulder, offering silent support, and the older woman forced an appreciative smile.

"We continue on our way. We need to stop for a recharge on a nearby planet, though. Maybe we can gather some more information about who we're dealing with." Bulma commented, checking the controls and setting a course for the nearest planet.

"Good idea." Gohan stated, then left the room, leaving the other occupants of the room to wonder just what was going through his mind.

* * *

Pan crawled out of bed, trying to regain some semblance of consciousness. It was five in the morning, yet there was light streaming through the small windows, allowing her to see the interior of her room. The bed was ridiculously big, the plush carpet tickling her bare feet. 

Mechanically, she showered and dressed, aching to wear something else than armor or rags of fabric. Perhaps some sweatpants, or jeans. Blankly, she considered her existence as it was now, the routines she had grown to depend on and the people that surrounded her.

The servants were nothing but polite to her, fearing to approach her. Yet they seemed sympathetic, giving her knowing glances, like they had been through the same thing. And they probably had been in similar situations. If she had the strength, she would've been angry, furious even, that this was happening to them and her.

But she didn't, she had given up. Given up on helping these people, on getting off the damn planet and away from Ikaika, on life and everything else. So there was no use in trying or pretending.

With a curt nod she watched as a guard knocked and entered, then saluted her. She took note of his stance, stiff as a board, as if he were afraid of slacking. He probably was; she knew she had a reputation of being harsh, and she was. But harsh or not, she got the job done. At the end of the day, the soldiers had gotten their training, she had gotten hers, she'd played along with her Lord and she was obedient.

"Well?" She spat, her patience running thin. The soldier cringed.

"The Lord requests your presence." His voice was controlled, his eyes transfixed on the far wall. She waved her hand, effectively dismissing him. Quickly, she left the room, slamming the door behind her as she stormed down the halls of the Presidential Palace.

Two guards stood by the door, as per usual, and they opened the door for her. Her footsteps echoed in the large room, her feet taking her to the end, where he was sitting. His eyes were fixed on her, burning holes in her as he roamed the edges of her mind.

"Your Majesty." She greeted, falling down on one knee, her head lowered.

"My dear Pan, I have an assignment for you." She lifted her head, a blank look on her face, hiding her surprise. Ikaika wore a smirk, his eyes calculating, "Now that I know you are aware of my full capabilities, it has become apparent to me that you are ready for the first step of my plan."

Pan looked at her Lord, wondering what he was talking about. Maybe not all was lost?

* * *

Hope it is to your satisfaction. Comments and criticism much appreciated as always! 


	4. Falling Sun

Here's a new chapter of Almost Doesn't Count. It's been very hard to think where exactly I want to take this story. _**If**_ I decide to change a few things when I write the next chapter, I will of course notify you of this, but I hope it won't come to that.

**Sorry for the long wait! **(Oh, and for the disclaimer, see chapter 1!)

Last time: The Z-gang found out Pan has been captured and decided to start looking for her and retrieve her. They considered her plan rather foolish and idealistic, but nonetheless set out to find her. Meanwhile, due to a time difference between dimensions, Pan has lived out many years on the planet where she has been captured, and is being used as a pawn in the Lord's plan to rule the universe. She cannot free herself of him and struggles with this on a daily basis. Refusing to give up hope, she continues to search for a way out. What will happen next?

**

* * *

**

**Almost Doesn't Count**

_Chapter 4 - Falling Sun_

* * *

It had been seven days since they had left home for space. They were only just nearing where Bulma and Bra had calculated the Ika system should be, when they found a planet where they could make a quick stop. The people on the planet were of different species, too many to possibly count. Vegeta seemed to recognize the lot of them, and some of them recognized him. There was a fear in their eyes when they saw him that uncharacteristically disturbed him, especially when he looked at his mate.

To his surprise, all Bulma did was smile politely; which actually bothered him even more. With swift footsteps, he neared her form, which was situated on a far boulder. Her head was bowed toward a small console in her hand, her longer hair flowing around her shoulders and hiding her eyes. Vegeta felt himself soften at the sight of her so concentrated, so focused. She was still beautiful, would always remain so in his eyes, despite the few grey hairs that sometimes presented themselves between her aquamarine strands. Or perhaps, _because_ of those signs of older age. They showed that they had been together for a very long time.

He remembered all the times she'd complained of her aging body, the self-doubt he could often sense in her. Though she hid it well behind her confident appearance, he knew she was afraid that he wouldn't find her attractive anymore. And, he thought with a smirk, he especially enjoyed those times that he reassured her without words that she would always remain his; she would be gorgeous no matter what.

Vegeta glanced around as he stepped closer, not really keen on drawing more attention to the two of them than was necessary. She had already noticed it, had already cleared a space for him; their bond had grown stronger over time and she was always aware of where he was.

There was just a small worry in the back of his mind that pressed on him whenever he spotted those grey bangs. The urgent reality affirmed itself that she was human, and he was Saiyajin. And, no matter what he did, he would outlive her. His species just aged slower and lived longer, and it often felt like a curse to him these days. He did not even want to contemplate the thought of living without her.

Snorting silently at the uncharacteristically sentimental notion, he slid next to her and crossed his legs at the ankles, as well as his arms. Bulma aligned her thighs with his, applying a gentle pressure. If anyone had told him forty years ago that he would be living a peaceful life on a planet, mated and married to a mere human female, with whom he had two brats, and grandchildren, who he would die for if it would protect them, he would have laughed in their face.

And yet, he wouldn't want it any other way. Now, with their offspring both out of the house, they had time for themselves. If the stubborn girl hadn't skipped the planet and gotten herself into trouble, he would have been able to enjoy life as it had been. Though, he couldn't deny the anticipation he felt at the prospect of battle… and the possibility of a fight with his nemesis turned friend.

His thoughts returned to the terrified looks he had received from the few people who lived outside the city and out in the country, and he glanced at the woman next to him. Bulma had stopped working and was staring at the city's borders, her hair whipping in the breeze. What was it she had said to him, whispered so softly in his mind after they had finally bonded?

_'You can't change your past, Vegeta… it has made you who you are now. What's done is done.'_ The soft feel of her skin sliding along his was imprinted on his mind, as well as the fingers running through his hair soothingly. _'All I can tell you is that I want a future with you, with our children. I know you, I know what you have done… and still, I love all of you. I want all of you.'_

Bulma rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, catching the echo of his thought and smiling in remembrance. One of her soft-skinned hands reached up and lay over his beating heart. She was so fragile and small in his arms, he thought as he wrapped an arm around her waist and totally forgot about the presence of the others behind them. His worries were effectively quelled for the moment.

Videl and Gohan were out farther in the field, laying on the ground and staring at the sky in each other's embrace. All of them had experienced cabin-fever; confined in a small space with only the stars outside to calm the nerves was slightly maddening. Videl sighed against the fabric of Gohan's gi, his arms tightening around her in response. It did little to ease their minds, sadly.

Chi Chi was on the other side of the ship, leaning against one of the large feet of the dome and looking down at her aging hands. She was younger than her blue-haired friend, and yet, she looked so much older. Chi Chi raised her eyes to the two boys sparring in the sky, smiling at her grandsons and remembering the time she'd tried to teach Goten martial arts. She hadn't been very young then, but at least she had been more limber and powerful. Sure, she had tried to keep up her training once in a while; had even watched Pan training outside and tried to copy the moves when she was alone. It wasn't the same though, because she tired so quickly.

Then there was the burden of worry, so heavy, too heavy on her slim shoulders. The worry deepened with each day, as she mentally calculated the time Pan hadn't seen them. This was all her fault, she thought as the pain intensified in her chest. If Pan hadn't gone to Namek to try and resurrect her dead husband, none of this would have happened. Her hands tightened on the small, familiar orange cloth in her hands.

Trunks was inside the ship, performing regular checks on the systems to make sure they were running properly. Anything to keep from thinking of what could have happened to Pan in all this time. She had acted rash and immature, leaving without saying anything. Mostly, he was holding onto his anger, thinking of reasons to be angry with her, to avoid feeling so desolate and - and afraid for her.

She had left without a word, stolen one of their ships, gotten herself captured despite her power and made them chase her all around the universe. He had had to cancel his plans with his girlfriend because of her; had made him have to come up with an excuse for leaving for a few weeks. He shook his head. Focusing on the task at hand, he continued punching codes into the keypad.

Outside, a little ways away from either crowd, Bra crossed her arms and looked over the landscape, contemplating where Pan could be. It was disturbing, this not-knowing, but it was better to focus on that than the fact that, to Pan, they hadn't seen each other in more than five years. Having had enough of sitting around aimlessly, she cleared her throat.

"Guys, I'm going to take a look around, ask if anybody knows anything." Bra glanced back at the others, who nodded absently. There was a distinct anxiety and discomfort hanging over them like a looming cloud, and it wasn't making the atmosphere any easier to live in.

Bulma pushed some hair behind her ear and slid off the rock, patting her backside to get rid of the numb feeling. Vegeta smirked, and she shot him a glare. "I'm going to recharge the ship."

"I'm going with you." Goten said to Bra, getting up from his perch on the small flight of stairs leading to the ship. His gaze settled on the stubborn figure of his wife and mate. Realizing she couldn't convince him to let her go alone, she nodded and took off, leaving a trail of her ki behind her.

* * *

As she looked back on it now, Pan realized that was the mission, the day, her humanity died. Her first kill, her first destruction of a planet, the first time she saw dead eyes looking back at her, and she knew with the infinite knowledge of a person wise beyond her years, that she would never, ever, be the same again.

The happy, intelligent, bouncy Pan Son had died with her first victim, and in her place was a cold, cunning, slaughtering animal. She killed without emotion, just frigid precision without mercy. At night, she could hear every single one of her victims screaming, yelling, dying over and over again. She didn't feel a thrill or boost of adrenaline when she took a life; she just did her job with an efficiency that satisfied her superior.

Her soldiers had learned over the years that though she was a woman, she was not to be trifled with. The way she carried herself like a sleek cat, the way it manifested itself even during the dance of battle was something that they could only dream of. Still, all of them tried their best to impress her, even though it seemed fruitless to do so. It amused her, to some degree, she pondered with a touch of irony.

There were strict rules she had set up from day one, rules she lived by. She always looked in the eyes of her victims, whether it be a child or a mother or an animal; killing someone while they couldn't see their attacker was dishonourable, and, as Pan had made sure to imprint on their memories, punishable by death. Another rule to obey was that she demanded they were to kill the people on the planets they purged instantly.

Once, she caught a soldier playing with his prey; torturing the poor woman with his blaster weapon and nearly forcing her to do anything he so wished. Pan had made it very clear then, that she would not tolerate anything of the sort. She could still remember her fury, the explosion of power that had followed, and the painful death the man had received.

After that, no one questioned her authority ever again.

* * *

"Are you _serious_?" The man asked, his voice making it clear that it was ridiculous that she would ask him such a thing. Bra raised an eyebrow, then sat down at the table he was sitting at, intrigued. His roguish grin at her looks had disappeared at the gravity of her question.

Initially, she was surprised to find that this man spoke English on a world full of alien species, but now she wasn't so sure. The man was dirty-looking, but then again; everyone looked like they needed a shower around here. She was at a small, dingy looking café, trying to find some information on Pan's whereabouts. It was in a lower, seedier part of the city, she realized that, but it was the first thing that caught her eye. Besides, if they were drunk, they wouldn't notice her odd-coloured hair and presence; standing out was the last thing she wanted.

"That man is crazy," he was shaking his head, "hell, he freaks me out. From what I've heard, the technology on that planet is way more advanced than ours." He slugged back another shot of foul-smelling liquor, and she was hard-pressed not to scrunch her nose in response.

"Who is it? Do you know more about him?" Bra asked, her eyes a little widened in interest. The man noticed, eyeing her suspiciously, but answered nonetheless, slurring.

"His name is Ikaika. I don't know too much about him, but I do know that he's very powerful. There are planets on the outer rim that have been completely destroyed by his armies, because his General didn't like their attitudes. Because we are a trade planet, he left it intact. He trades through us." The man answered, his voice lowered to prevent attracting any unwanted attention. Bra leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes in thought.

"The guards patrolling outside are his?" The man nodded, and Bra glanced out the window casually. Her eyes came to rest on a uniformed soldier; the stony face and cold gaze that stood out from the drunken crowd. Her mind was processing all this information, wondering where Pan fit into this picture. The time difference must have had a large effect on her over the past few weeks; the years must have affected her. Bra decided not to consider or contemplate that frightening information for too long.

"What do you know about his armies? What powers do they have?" She dared to ask the question, feeling the crowded atmosphere pressing on her senses. If she weren't Saiyajin, she would never have entered this festered hole of an establishment. The men were eyeing her a bit too closely for her, and probably her absent husband's, tastes.

"Lady, all I know is that I wouldn't want to be on the end of their attacks. I don't even know if they use weapons or just freaky mind tricks. They just landed and took over a few years ago." The man scratched his beard and took another swig of his drink, sputtering when another patron clapped him on the back to draw his attention. Bra saw an opportunity to duck out, and seized it silently.

The open air brought only little comfort to her lungs; her breathing was a bit ragged from the impact of the man's words. Obviously, they were up against another enemy in the long line of villains that had tried to destroy the Earth, or for that matter, Goku. Yet this threat was not aimed at the planet she raised her child on; or at her late father-in-law. It was a threat to the universe and for all they knew, to the missing Pan.

Bra wasn't necessarily afraid to face this notorious Ikaika and his armies; she was righteously confident in her own abilities, and in the band of powerful friends and family members that came along on this journey. But, as long as they were in the dark about this man and his powers, they should be cautious. For not the first time, she questioned the wisdom of taking the children with them.

Sure, they were Saiyajins, but they were little. What if something happened to them? Pushing those particular concerns aside, she began strolling down the sidewalk in the direction she'd seen Goten wander off to earlier. Thoughts and worries about Pan were weighing heavily on her mind and heart, the uncertainty of what to expect when they found her was disconcerting to say the least.

Clearly, this leader had to be strong; otherwise he wouldn't have been able to capture her friend. Bra pushed aside the voice within her that whispered Pan might have chosen to stay with the man. No way would Pan Son condone actions like those the raggedy man in the café had spoken of. It was impossible, improbable, unthinkable.

Pan had always been the perfect example of innocence to her. Despite all the fighting she did and the tomboyish fierceness she possessed, the younger woman had never been anything but kind to those she was close to. Whenever a boy had rejected her in high school, in fear of her powers or personality, she had bounced back and kept it all inside. That was just Pan. Bra had tried on numerous occasions to pull something from her, but it rarely worked.

The quarter Saiyajin had been spared all the horrors of dating after those few hurtful occasions when she had actually let boys into her heart; she had simply avoided more pain by stopping her attempts at relationships altogether. Instead, as she grew from a young, cheerful girl into a moody, focused adolescent, and finally into a beautiful, determined woman with fighting skills that surpassed even Vegeta's expectations, she unknowingly maintained the innocent aura of a person that grew up in a sheltered, loving environment.

And that, considering the dangerous journey she had been on with her grandfather and Trunks, was a miracle.

"Bra?" Goten's hand on her shoulder startled her from her thoughts and she stiffened for a fraction of a second. His dark, worried eyes met hers inquisitively, and she just gave a sad smile, silently conveying what was on her mind. He wrapped his arm around her and they continued down the street that way, quietly making their way back to the ship on the outskirts of the town.

Neither of the two noticed the watchful eyes of the guard follow them as they walked.

* * *

"This planet is controlled by a guy named Ikaika. His soldiers monitor everything; they're from many different planets. It seems like this is a convergence point for traders and smugglers." Bra announced as they sat around the conference table in the large ship they called home for this period of time.

"Did you find out anything about Pan?" Videl jumped in, impatiently. Goten shook his head in response, sorrow colouring his features. Bra leaned her elbows on the table and cradled her chin on her palm. Bulma sat down on a chair next to Videl and laid a supportive hand on her friend's back.

"I'm sorry. The guy I talked to could tell me only so much without being caught. These guards are everywhere. I did find out something on the powers. The man referred to them as 'freaky mind tricks', so I suppose we're talking about mental powers." Bra said contemplatively, meeting her father's eyes across the room and urging him to put his two cents in. Her father was a well of knowledge sometimes.

"It was said that the early Saiyajins had the power of mind control, but the knowledge died with the planet. All I know is that when a Saiyajin bond is established, telepathy is possible and imperative to keep the bond intact. Besides that, our entire race was capable of telekinesis, as we are now." Vegeta responded from his spot against the wall. Well, that wasn't very helpful, Bra thought absently.

"Alright. I say we try to find out more about this Ikaika, before we do anything else." Bulma commented, punching some codes into her palm pilot.

"This is only one of the planets he controls. Also, he's destroying them at will. The guy talked about the outer rim of this galaxy, so maybe we can go there and find out some more." Bra decided to prepare them for the sight that would be greeting them. The children would have to be kept inside as they investigated.

"Great. Another Frieza on our hands. What, do they crawl out of the woodwork as soon as we finish one off?" Gohan murmured, but his words were caught by everyone in the room. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at all this information. If this guy was anything like Frieza, it was possible that he was using Pan and her powers for his means.

He hoped that he was wrong, but it was a fool's hope.

* * *

The naturally reddened sky was alive with light as a large ship descended through the atmosphere to the ground and landed on a field blooming with flowers and wildlife. She had noticed it as soon as her eyes had snapped open from her meditation. The time differentials affected her only slightly now after all this time, but it was still a shift from a planet were one day equalled nine months, to a universe where one day was just what it was.

Anticipation boiled up inside her. Maybe this would be the day...

Her eyes narrowed when there was a soft knock on her door. Before the door could open and reveal her first in command, she waved her hand and the metal slid away.

"I will be right out." Another wave and it closed in Lieutenant Losori's pale face. Pan levitated down to the ground and placed her feet firmly apart before landing. With the unconscious grace she had always possessed, she made her way to the window and stared outside.

The planet was a small one this time, with low population and few micro-organisms. She shot a glance at the data pad that lay on her desk, containing all the information her scouts had been able to acquire on the planet and its inhabitants beforehand. Gazing back out at the beautiful landscape, she shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Nobody would be able to capture beauty. These were the few moments before ultimate destruction would dawn on this peaceful folk, who were busily living their lives. They were oblivious to their impending doom. There was a tightening around the edges of her consciousness and she shivered at its presence. He was keeping an eye, or as the case may be, his mind on her.

It was best not to dwell on this anyway. In low, hushed tones, Pan prayed for the lives of these people, like she always did. Though it would never be enough, it seemed to help her enter the void she always immersed herself in. Detached from reality, it almost felt like she was watching someone else slaughter all those people, without emotion.

Sometimes, she wondered if her Grandpa was able to see all this merciless destruction his own granddaughter was inducing on the universe. She had nightmares about it; it haunted her, it was always present in the back of her mind. Futilely, she attempted to quell it with the one hope she secretly cherished in her heart. It didn't matter, would never matter.

A wistful sigh escaped her. The pained expression on her face was already fading into cold indifference as she made her way to the door to her quarters. It had taken practice to perfect the cold face. Five years changed a person, and at twenty-six, she was a long ways away from the rambunctious girl she once was.

With a flick of her hand, the door slid open and she stepped outside, her boot heels clicking on the metal floor.

She only had a small squadron with her on this mission, but it would be more than enough. Sure, if she powered up fully, she would be able to destroy the life on the planet herself, but she let her soldiers do the grunt work. Her Lord's goal was to create a large army that would take care of business, with or without her, so he could dispose of her whenever he so wished. She would obey him; Ikaika did not yet know her full potential, and that was her minor edge.

From the hallway, she heard thirty voices laughing and joking around in the common room of the large ship. Pan glanced down the hall as she neared the door where the noise was coming from, while absently straightening her tight spandex and her armor. Her red cape hit the backs of her calves annoyingly. She would never get used to the damn uniform. The thought of Vegeta's love for the particular article of clothing brought an unbidden smile to her eyes, not her lips. Never her lips anymore.

Her lips twisted in a snarl as she turned the corner and stepped into the room. The men were almost instantly lined up, staring intently ahead. Their postures were tense, yet she paid it no heed and pursued a way out the opposite door and off to the large exit. She signalled for them to follow her, and she heard their footsteps behind her.

"Don't mess this up, boys. Clear them off, neatly and efficiently. I'll keep my eye on you." She warned in her hoarse, cold voice, a reminder of a night at the Palace. Curtly, the men affirmed her command and halted behind her as the ship's pilots opened the hatch for them.

Immediately, the heavy scent of the beautiful flowers invaded her nose, and for a moment she was reminded of home. Home, on stretched fields where she loved to spar with Goten and Bra, or her father, who had decided to pick up his training again because he wanted to be able to keep up with his young son. Gohan had wanted to pass his knowledge of martial arts on to his son. Her brother.

Pan scowled to chase the thoughts away and motioned for the men to file out of the ship and start their attack.

* * *

"General?" A large, burly man barked, his eyes aflame as he stood before his superior. Pan was levitating above and in front of him, her eyes heavy-lidded as she glared down at him. She had been meditating in mid-air, hoping somehow to find peace of mind in this chaos.

Her mental powers had increased and developed greatly, and she was able to scout and observe the mind's of others. The men under her command were mostly weak-minded fools, so entering their mind was easy, and this gave her the opportunity to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. They didn't even notice her invading their minds.

She was seeing his thoughts right then; all fired-up male testosterone, his blood pumping and his heart beating like a sledgehammer from the thrill of the killing. Disgustedly, she sneered at him, and the fire in his eyes diminished to subdued obeisance. Her first in command inclined his head slightly in respect, realizing his mistake.

"General, all life has been terminated." Pan briefly closed her eyes and reached out with her sixth sense, just as the last life form's ki diminished. She had taught them basic ki discipline, it had taken them a long time, but now they were able to kill effectively with just a point of their finger. Their powers were very limited, and mostly ineffective during hand-to-hand combat, yet they had learned quickly and could concentrate small amounts of ki in minor blasts.

Pan reopened her eyes and straightened in the air, crossing her arms in front of her while expanding her mental search. Soon, she had reached all of them and her voice echoed inside their minds, ordering them to return to the ship so she could scrutinize their work and give the dead inhabitants the respect they deserved.

When she was sure that all of them were inside of the sleek battleship, she turned her back to it and strode over to the rows and rows of men and women and children, whose bodies were lined up properly. Once at the end of the long rows, having flown over them slowly, she mentally calculated the number of people on the planet, the number they had killed.

400,456.

It mentally registered that this was lower than what her stats had told her. She had known that the populace was low, but not like this. Mentally, she ran over random calculations to keep from screaming at the sight of those mangled bodies, but the screams inside of her were not to be silenced and pulled her attention away from rational thinking. One child specifically caught her eye; the kid looked to have been about the same age as Goku Jr., and in a flash, she saw her own brother there… a terrifying vision that would surely accompany all the other horrible nightmares that invaded her subconscious.

In her native tongue, a language she hadn't used in ages, she whispered words of goodbye and begged for forgiveness to a God she had lost faith in. Then, with a swiftness that took her by surprise, she held out her hands and let her ki flow from it like a blanket over the lands. The victims incinerated immediately in the harsh winds of her power, and the two strands that hung loose from her tight bun stirred with it.

_My Lord, I wish to stay here for a little while. If you allow it, I will send your armies home and follow them later in one of the small shuttles. May I?_

The subdued tendrils of thought slipped passed her barriers, aimed at the man who controlled her. Years ago, she had hated him thoroughly… but now her hate had ebbed and mellowed slightly and all she was left with was the responsibility of her own actions. And, a small seed of hope that was buried deep inside of her, hidden from everyone else, kept her in place.

A presence slid along her mind, like a fleeting caress, and Pan suppressed a shiver at it. _All right... you have a day. Don't try anything, my sweet. I'll be watching you. _His voice whispered in her ear. She gave a curt nod at seemingly open air, and turned to the ship, relaying her message to the pilots mentally.

The lift-off went smoothly. Her eyes silently followed the sleek ship as it lifted into the atmosphere and left her alone. The blessed silence enveloped her, sharpened her senses and soothed her. Silence was usually unnatural, a deep, profound clue that something was terribly wrong. Now, nothing was wrong, if you didn't account the lack of life.

Narrowing her eyes, she became aware of the fact that Ikaika had retracted his hold from her mind for the most part, his thoughts only a light blanket on her mind. With little concentration, she managed to uphold her mental walls and block him out.

Sharp, dark eyes trailed along the scorched treetops, the setting suns creating a magnificent view on the horizon, the colors muddling in the skies. Its beauty washed over her and calmed her further, until she felt ready for meditation. As a guise slipped over her mind like a veil, she relaxed completely and sunk into her own mind. Over the years, she had perfected this routine just so, that if her Lord should feel compelled to search the surface of her mind, it would seem to him like she was deep in a meditative state.

Pan's eyes lost focus as she removed a pouch from the back of her belt, a place at the small of her back where it was hidden from prying eyes by the cape. Said cape flapped behind her, moving wildly while she saw the numbers on the capsules in her mind's eye. Clothes she hadn't worn in ages, battle gear, food, housing…. A shuttle.

Then, one of the other capsules caught her eye. The one she had been searching for.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that! 


End file.
